Reel device

ABSTRACT

A reel device is provided, including a shell, a knob, an elastic member, a ratchet assembly and a reel unit. The knob is pivoted in the shell along an axial direction and movable to a first position or a second position along the axial direction, and the knob has a first restricting toothed portion. The elastic member is abutted between the shell and the knob so that the knob has a tendency to move toward the first position. The ratchet assembly includes a first ratchet portion and a second ratchet portion, the first ratchet portion is comovable with the knob, and the second ratchet portion is fixedly disposed in the shell. The reel unit is pivoted in the shell for being connected with at least one rope, and the reel unit has a second restricting toothed portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a reel device.

Description of the Prior Art

Generally, when wearing medical wearable protectors (for example, waist guards, knee pads and rehabilitation shoes), a user ties the wearable protector to a body part through a restricting rope, and after the wearable protector is tightly fit to the body part, s/he ties a knot on a rope body of the restricting rope to prevent the rope body from loosening so as to ensure the body part is well protected. However, the above-mentioned process is inconvenient, so a buckle is disclosed. The buckle has an elastic clasp member, a rope body is disposed in the buckle, the elastic clasp member normally presses and clasps the rope body to prevent the rope body from sliding relative to the buckle. When in use, the user needs to press the elastic clasp member to pull the rope body tight, and then loose the elastic clasp member to maintain the rope body in a tightly restricted state and unable to slide relative to the buckle to prevent the rope body from loosening.

However, in this type of conventional buckle, after being used for a long term, the elasticity of the elastic clasp member fatigues, so the strength of the elastic clasp member pressing the rope body weakens, the rope body becomes slidable relative to the buckle, and the wearable protector cannot wrap the body part tightly.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The major object of the present invention is to provide a reel device, which can effectively tighten a rope and is easy and quick to operate, the reel device can effectively prevent the rope from loosening, and it is easier to operate when a user wants to loosen the rope.

To achieve the above and other objects, a reel device is provided, including a shell, a knob, an elastic member, a ratchet assembly and a reel unit. The knob is pivoted in the shell along an axial direction and movable to a first position or a second position along the axial direction, and the knob has a first restricting toothed portion. The elastic member is abutted between the shell and the knob so that the knob has a tendency to move toward the first position. The ratchet assembly includes a first ratchet portion and a second ratchet portion, the first ratchet portion is comovable with the knob, and the second ratchet portion is fixedly disposed in the shell. The reel unit is pivoted in the shell for being connected with at least one rope, and the reel unit has a second restricting toothed portion. When the knob is on the first position, the first and second ratchet portions are meshed with each other, the first and second toothed portions are meshed with each other, and the knob and the reel unit is only unidirectionally rotatable relative to the shell; when the knob is on the second position, the first restricting toothed portion is non-meshed with the second toothed portion, and the reel unit is freely rotatable relative to the shell.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an assembly drawing of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a stereogram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a breakdown view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 6 for a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A reel device 1 includes a shell 2, a knob 3, an elastic member 4, a ratchet assembly 5 and a reel unit 6. In this embodiment, the reel device 1 is assembled to a medical shoe (as shown in FIG. 1), and in other embodiments, the reel device 1 may also be assembled to a waist guard, a knee pad or other wearable protectors.

The knob 3 is pivoted in the shell 2 along an axial direction 11 and movable to a first position or a second position along the axial direction 11, and the knob 3 has a first restricting toothed portion 31.

The elastic member 4 is abutted between the shell 2 and the knob 3 so that the knob 3 has a tendency to move toward the first position.

The ratchet assembly 5 includes a first ratchet portion 51 and a second ratchet portion 52, the first ratchet portion 51 is comovable with the knob 3, and the second ratchet portion 52 is fixedly disposed in the shell 2.

The reel unit 6 is pivoted in the shell 2 for being connected with at least one rope 9, in this embodiment, the reel unit 6 is for being connected to two ends of one of the at least one rope 6 to tighten the rope 9 of the medical shoe, and the reel unit 6 has a second restricting toothed portion 61.

In actual operation, when the knob 3 is on the first position (as shown in FIG. 5), the first and second ratchet portions 51, 52 are meshed with each other, the first and second toothed portions 31, 61 are meshed with each other, and the knob 3 and the reel unit 6 are only unidirectionally rotatable relative to the shell 2 so that the two ends of the rope 9 are swirled into the reel unit 6 to tighten the rope 9. In addition, because the first restricting toothed portion 31 is meshed with the second restricting toothed portion 61, the knob 3 and the reel unit 6 cannot rotate reversely so that the rope 9 can be prevented from getting loose. When a user wants to loosen the rope 9, s/he can move the knob 3 to the second position. When the knob 3 is on the second position (as shown in FIG. 6), the first restricting toothed portion 31 is non-meshed with the second toothed portion 61, and the reel unit 6 is freely rotatable relative to the shell 2. The rope 9 is being tightened, so when the reel unit 6 is freely rotatable relative to the shell 2, the rope 9 is tightened and drives the reel unit 6 to rotate reversely, and the rope 9 loosens. Therefore, the reel device 1 is quick and easy to operate and can prevent the rope 9 from getting loose easily.

The reel unit 6 includes a plate 62, the plate 62 has a wrapping shaft 63 for the at least one rope 9 to wrap thereon and at least one receiving space 64 for receiving the at least one rope 9, and in the embodiment, there are two said receiving spaces 64 respectively for the two ends of the rope 9 to be received therein to prevented from being tangled.

Specifically, the shell 2 has a cover 21, the cover 21 has an inner flange 211, the inner flange 211 defines an opening 212, the knob 3 has an outer flange 32, the knob 3 protrudes beyond the opening 212, and the outer flange 32 is positioned by a side of the inner flange 211 facing the reel unit 6. In this embodiment, the elastic member 4 is abutted between the inner flange 211 and the outer flange 32; therefore, the knob 3 normally moves toward the shell 2 to the first position, when the knob 3 is pulled out toward a direction away from the shell 2, the knob 3 moves to the second position to loosen the rope 9, and in other embodiments, directions of the first and second positions are interchangeable.

More specifically, the knob 3 has a pivot 33, the pivot 33 is pivotally disposed on a bottom portion of the shell 2, a sleeve 34 is sleeved on the pivot 33 and extends along the axial direction 11 toward the reel unit 6 to form the first restricting toothed portion 31, and the reel unit 6 is sleeved on the pivot 33 and extends along the axial direction 11 toward the first restricting toothed portion 31 to form the second restricting toothed portion 61. When the knob 3 moves to the first position, it is easier form the first and second restricting toothed portions 31, 61 to be meshed with each other.

Furthermore, the first ratchet portion 51 is comovably sleeved on the sleeve 34, the first ratchet portion 51 includes a plurality of ratchet members 511, and when the knob 3 is on the first position, the ratchet members 511 are meshed with the second ratchet portion 52. In other embodiments, an exterior circumferential wall of the sleeve 34 includes a non-circular column 341, the first ratchet portion 51 has a non-circular hole 512 complementary to the non-circular column 341, and the non-circular hole 512 is sleeved on the non-circular column 341 so that when the ratchet member 511 are damaged after being used for a period of time, it is easier for the user to replace the first ratchet portion 51. Specifically, the second ratchet portion 52 has an interior annular toothed plate 521, the second ratchet portion 52 further has a base plate 522, and when the knob 3 is on the first position, the first ratchet portion 51 abuts against the base plate 522 so that the first and second ratchet portions 51, 52 can be positionably meshed with each other.

Preferably, in this embodiment, the interior annular toothed plate 521 has an annular flange 523 facing outside, an interior of the shell 2 has an annular groove 213, and the annular flange 523 restrictedly abuts against the annular groove 213 to be tight fit with each other so that the interior annular toothed plate 521 is non-rotatable relative to the shell 2.

Given the above, in the reel device of the present invention, when the knob is on the first position, the first and second ratchet portions are meshed with each other, the first and second toothed portions are meshed with each other, and the knob and the reel unit are only unidirectionally rotatable relative to the shell so that the two ends of the rope are swirled into the reel unit to tighten the rope. If the user wants to loosen the rope, s/he can move the knob to the second position to make the first and second restricting toothed portions non-meshed with each other to loosen the rope. Therefore, the reel device is quick and easy to operate and can effectively prevent the rope from getting loose.

While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A reel device, including: a shell; a knob, pivoted in the shell along an axial direction and movable to a first position or a second position along the axial direction, the knob having a first restricting toothed portion; an elastic member, abutted between the shell and the knob so that the knob has a tendency to move toward the first position; a ratchet assembly, including a first ratchet portion and a second ratchet portion, the first ratchet portion being comovable with the knob, the second ratchet portion being fixedly disposed in the shell; a reel unit, pivoted in the shell for being connected with at least one rope, having a second restricting toothed portion; wherein when the knob is on the first position, the first and second ratchet portions are meshed with each other, the first and second toothed portions are meshed with each other, and the knob and the reel unit are only unidirectionally rotatable relative to the shell; when the knob is on the second position, the first restricting toothed portion is non-meshed with the second toothed portion, and the reel unit is freely rotatable relative to the shell.
 2. The reel device of claim 1, wherein the reel unit includes a plate, the plate has a wrapping shaft for the at least one rope to wrap thereon and at least one receiving space for receiving the at least one rope.
 3. The reel device of claim 1, wherein the shell has a cover, the cover has an inner flange, the inner flange defines an opening, the knob has an outer flange, the knob protrudes beyond the opening, and the outer flange is positioned by a side of the inner flange facing the reel unit.
 4. The reel device of claim 3, wherein the elastic member is abutted between the inner flange and the outer flange.
 5. The reel device of claim 1, wherein the knob has a pivot, the pivot is pivotally disposed on a bottom portion of the shell, a sleeve is sleeved on the pivot and extends along the axial direction toward the reel unit to form the first restricting toothed portion, and the reel unit is sleeved on the pivot and extends along the axial direction toward the first restricting toothed portion to form the second restricting toothed portion.
 6. The reel device of claim 5, wherein the first ratchet portion is comovably sleeved on the sleeve, the first ratchet portion includes a plurality of ratchet members, and when the knob is on the first position, the ratchet members are meshed with the second ratchet portion.
 7. The reel device of claim 6, wherein an exterior circumferential wall of the sleeve includes a non-circular column, the first ratchet portion has a non-circular hole complemetary to the non-circular column, and the non-circular hole is sleeved on the non-circular column.
 8. The reel device of claim 1, wherein the second ratchet portion includes an interior annular toothed plate, the second ratchet portion further has a base plate, and when the knob is on the first position, the first ratchet portion abuts against the base plate.
 9. The reel device of claim 8, wherein the interior annular toothed plate has an annular flange facing outside, an interior of the shell has an annular groove, and the annular flange restrictedly abuts against the annular groove.
 10. The reel device of claim 2, wherein the shell has a cover, the cover has an inner flange, the inner flange defines an opening, the knob has an outer flange, the knob protrudes beyond the opening, and the outer flange is positioned by a side of the inner flange facing the reel unit; the elastic member is abutted between the inner flange and the outer flange; the knob has a pivot, the pivot is pivotally disposed on a bottom portion of the shell, a sleeve is sleeved on the pivot and extends along the axial direction toward the reel unit to form the first restricting toothed portion, and the reel unit is sleeved on the pivot and extends along the axial direction toward the first restricting toothed portion to form the second restricting toothed portion; the first ratchet portion is comovably sleeved on the sleeve, the first ratchet portion includes a plurality of ratchet members, and when the knob is on the first position, the ratchet members are meshed with the second ratchet portion; an exterior circumferential wall of the sleeve includes a non-circular column, the first ratchet portion has a non-circular hole complemetary to the non-circular column, and the non-circular hole is sleeved on the non-circular column; the second ratchet portion is an interior annular toothed plate, the second ratchet portion further has a base plate, and when the knob is on the first position, the first ratchet portion abuts against the base plate; the interior annular toothed plate has an annular flange facing outside, an interior of the shell has an annular groove, and the annular flange restrictedly abuts against the annular groove. 